Amid a diplomatic spat between a number of countries in the Persian Gulf as well as Egypt, U.S. Senator Robert Corker (R-TN) announced in a letter to the U.S. State Department that he would block arms sales to Gulf countries until the crisis was resolved.

Friday, June 9, 2017

Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rand Paul (R-KY) have raised concerns about the possible sale of Super Tucano aircraft to the Nigerian government in a letter addressed to U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

The Trump Administration has approved a plan to provide weapons to arm the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an umbrella militia operating in northern Syria that has become a crucial American ally against the Islamic State.

Thursday, May 4, 2017

In several recent interviews, Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Minister of Defense Mohammed bin Salman has emphasized Riyadh's determination to improve its local defense industry, as part of its bid to boost self-reliance in terms of supplying the military.

The U.S. State Department announced via the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on May 2, 2017 that it had approved a Kenyan request for military helicopters. The DSCA informed the U.S. Congress of the sale the previous day.

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

As part of Russia's import substitution program, the country aims to put into testing replacement gas turbine engines for its naval vessels. These, unlike engines purchased in past years, are to be fully constructed locally.

Russian defense industry holding Rostec has announced plans to acquire UralVagonZavod, a subsidiary of Tractor Plants Concern, according to Defense News. The defense conglomerate already accounts for around two-thirds of Russia's defense industry.

Admiral Gorshkov, during armament trials in the Barents Sea in March 2016.

Russia is continuing to test the Admiral Gorshkov frigate, the lead vessel of Project 22350, ahead of commission slated for later in the year. Speaking on April 20, 2017, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said the tests are proceeding on schedule.

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Russia's Vice President of Research and Industrial Association NPO Pribor, Oleg Chizhevsky, told reporters on April 18, 2017 that munitions tests for the PAK FA fighter jet may be completed this year, according to Tass News Agency.

Defense News reported on April 18, 2017 that a bipartisan group of lawmakers is pushing the Trump Administration to approve sales of armed unmanned aerial systems (UAVs) to Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Citing an informed source, Tass News Agency reported on April 18, 2017 that a Russian delegation is heading to Egypt to continue negotiations between the two sides for new equipment for Egypt's Mistral helicopter carriers.

The size of Mali's order is unclear. At the Africa Aerospace & Defense Expo in South Africa last year, Rosoboronexport's delegation head, Yuri Demchenko, indicated that Russia would be delivering new helicopters to Mali, among other countries.

Demchenko did not specify the size of the order or the type that Mali would receive. He discussed both the Mi-8/17 and Mi-24/35, saying, "In 2016-2017, we plan to continue exporting these helicopters to Angola, Mali, Sudan, Nigeria.

"Our position in the African helicopter market is solid, so we are optimistic about the prospects of cultivating it further," he added.

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Speaking to Sputnik International on April 12, 2017, a top Russian lawmaker suggested that Damascus may seek to acquire Tor and Buk missile systems from Russia following a U.S. Tomahawk cruise missile strike last week.

A source in Russia's defense industry told Tass News Agency on April 13, 2017 that a contract regarding the development of prototype PAK DA bombers has been signed. The strategic bomber will be created in the early 2020s, according to the source.

The Director of Russia's Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation, Dmitry Shugayev, stated on April 11, 2017 that Russia had reached military export and cooperation contracts totaling over $9 billion in 2016.

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

The Israeli military is moving forward with development of the Eitan 8x8 wheeled armored personnel carrier (APC). According to iHLS, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have recently conducted a series of tests on rough terrain using the Eitan APC.

Monday, April 10, 2017

One day after U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles struck a Syrian airbase, the Deputy Commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces stated that the share of modernized weaponry in the possession of Russia's air-defense troops will rise to nearly 70 percent by the start of 2018.

Monday, April 3, 2017

Russian frigate Admiral Makarov is set to enter the final stage of testing before being accepted in service, according to Tass News Agency. The vessel, part of Project 11356, was built by Yantar Shipyard, a subsidiary of United Shipbuilding Corporation.

Monday, January 30, 2017

During a recent visit to the Caspian port city Turkmenbashi, Turkmen President Gurbunguly Berdimuhamedov was photographed observing two of Turkmenistan's Tulza-class naval patrol vessels. The photographs reveal that Turkmenistan has equipped at least those two ships with the SIMBAD-RC short range air-defense system, manufactured by MBDA.

Saturday, January 28, 2017

The Kazakh Ministry of Defense confirmed on January 26, 2017, that it received a shipment of Mi-35Ms from Russia and put them into service. The press release noted that the four helicopters have been deployed to southern Kazakhstan.

To mark the beginning of the latest MiG-35 model's flight tests, Russian President Vladimir Putin and several other top officials (pictured above) held avideo conferencewith Yury Slyusar, the Director of United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), on January 26, 2017. The meeting included a flight demonstration of the new MiG-35UB, a two-seat fighter jet.